Anosmia in association with occupational use of a waterproof coating chemical

A case of acute permanent anosmia is described in a renovation worker during exposure to a waterproof coating chemical. The chemical consisted of several substances of which four (acetone, acrylates, butyl acetate and carbon disulfide) has been previously reported to induce hyposmia or anosmia in workers. Other aetiologies were clinically excluded but a large arachnoidea cyst in the frontal part of the left temporobasal fossa with possible compression of the left entorhinal cortex. The toxic aetiology of anosmia is supported by the acute onset and the temporal relationship with occupational exposure. The silent cyst as the cause of anosmia is improbable, but it may have had some contributory role. Our case illustrates both the challenges when clinically examining patients with work-related olfactory impairment and the importance of multi-disciplinary approach to such patients.